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Rollover Crash Victim, Taxi Driver Nabbed For Drunk Driving In Hudson Valley: Police

Several people were nabbed on drunk driving charges in the Hudson Valley over the holiday weekend, including a Westchester woman rescued from a rolled-over car and a taxi driver, police said.

One of the arrests happened on Route 6 in Southeast near Starr Ridge Road, the Sheriff's Office said. 

One of the arrests happened on Route 6 in Southeast near Starr Ridge Road, the Sheriff's Office said. 

Photo Credit: Google Maps street view/Pixabay via Steve Buissinne

The arrests were announced by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, Oct. 17, and were all made over Columbus Day weekend. 

The first incident happened on Friday, Oct. 11 in Putnam Valley, when a car crashed and flipped on Church Road in the area of Kramers Pond Road. 

Arriving sheriff's deputies found a vehicle on its side with downed live wires nearby. They then rescued the driver, 60-year-old Yonkers resident Aura Reis, through the car's sunroof and found that she was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, authorities said. 

Reis was then taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla to be treated for her injuries while also being issued an appearance ticket for DWI and other traffic offenses, the Sheriff's Office said. 

The second arrest happened on Sunday, Oct. 13 just after 1 a.m., when a sheriff's deputy saw a car allegedly speeding south on Interstate 684 in Brewster while swerving out of its lane. The deputy then pulled it over and found that the driver, 36-year-old Fernando Goncalvesribeiro of Manhattan, appeared to be drunk and had several open beer cans, according to authorities. 

The Sheriff's Office added that Goncalvesribeiro failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for aggravated DWI, as his blood alcohol content was greater than .18 percent. He was also issued traffic tickets and was turned over to EMS for evaluation because of his level of intoxication, authorities said. 

The next incident also happened on Sunday just before 3:30 a.m. when a deputy saw a car driving south on Route 22 in Patterson while swerving out of its lane, nearly hitting a telephone pole. After the car was pulled over on Fairfield Drive, the driver, 50-year-old Connecticut resident Christopher O'Brien of the Fairfield County town of New Fairfield, was seen to be under the influence of alcohol, according to the Sheriff's Office.

O'Brien then refused to complete field sobriety tests and was arrested before being taken to the Putnam County Correctional Facility, where he also refused to take a breathalyzer test. He was then held for arraignment for DWI and refusal to take a breath test while also being issued several traffic tickets, the Sheriff's Office added. 

The last reported arrest happened on Sunday just before 5 a.m. when a deputy saw a car driving east on Route 6 near Starr Ridge Road in Southeast. After it was stopped, the driver, 32-year-old Leonidas Guallpa of the Bronx, was found to be intoxicated after failing field sobriety tests and arrested for aggravated DWI. He was then taken to the Putnam County Correctional Facility for processing, authorities said.

Guallpa's vehicle had been operating as a taxi at the time, the Sheriff's Office said, adding that a deputy took his passengers to a safe location after his arrest. 

Guallpa was later issued an appearance ticket for the Southeast Town Court and was turned over to EMS because of his level of alleged intoxication. He was also issued multiple traffic tickets, police said. 

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